Global Trade Labour Rights And International Law

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the new methods of transnational labour regulation that are emerging in response to globalisation.

This book provides a set of proposals for how best to guarantee effective enforcement of labour rights worldwide. The linkage between labour standards and global trade has been recurrent for some 200 years. At a time when the world is struggling to find a way out of crisis and is striving for economic growth, more than ever there is a need for up-to-date research on how to protect and promote labour rights in the global economy. This book explores the history of the field and also provides an overview of emerging trends and opportunities. It discusses the most recent problems including: the effectiveness and the role of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the second century of its existence, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its potential relevance in the protection of labour rights, the effectiveness of the US and the EU Generalised System of Preferences, the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) instruments on labour rights, and labour provisions in the international trade agreements concluded by the US and the EU. The book argues, inter alia, that trade agreements seem to be a useful tool to help pave the way out of the crisis and that the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) can be perceived as a model agreement and a symbol of a shift in perspective from long global supply chains to a focus on regional ones, local production, jobs and a rise in wages. The book will be essential reading for academics and students in the fields of human rights law, international labour law, industrial relations law, international sustainable development law, international economic law and international trade law. It will also be of interest to practitioners, non-government organisations (NGOs) and policy makers.

"A significant contribution to current legal, political, and economic discourse on workers in the global economy."—International and Comparative Law Quarterly

When does international law allow a State or group of States to adopt trade measures in order to "coerce" another State to comply with its international obligations to ensure respect for human rights? In answering this question this book draws together complex areas of international law which include the rules prohibiting interference in the internal affairs of sovereign States, the rules regulating extra-territorial exercises of jurisdiction, the law of State responsibility and the international legal rules requiring the protection of human rights and regulating international trade. The literature on "Trade "and" ..." issues invariably focuses on a limited number of these areas, or approaches the issues from an international relations or economic perspective. This book will assist specialists in international human rights law and international trade law, academic and government lawyers who advise on or implement international trade policy and those studying the use of human rights related trade measures.

This book represents a significant and timely contribution to the copious literature of the EU as a global actor providing new insights and fresh perspectives into the promotion of human rights and international labour standards in the EU’s external trade relations, building on and stimulating further – the already well-engaged – scientific dialogue on this area of research. In particular, it provides the basis for developing a new analytical structure for better understanding the role of the EU in promoting human rights and international labour standards in global trade and, in particular, for assessing the extent to which and how normative considerations have influenced the adoption of EU legal instruments and policy decisions. This book will appeal to research scholars, post-graduate students, practitioners and human rights activists.

The book offers a comprehensive perspective on the highly topical issue of protecting and promoting labour standards in international economic law and the globalized economy. For the purpose of an in-depth analysis of both the specific and the fundamental aspects in this regard, it combines views from specialized academics of the legal and political sciences as well as experienced practitioners. The contributions to this book do not only reveal recurring obstacles but also point at best practices and potential for synergies, providing important guidance for future research and practice in international economic and labour law and policy.

Takes as its starting point the observation that a social clause should be concerned with achieving international labour rights. Analyses the conception of international labour rights involving not only law but also other disciplines such as history, morality and economics. Shows that the discussion on the social clause is emblematic of the way the WTO and the international trade system should deal with human rights in general. It requires an approach grounded in international law in the broadest sense, covering general international law, international human rights law, international trade law, international labour law and legal theory.

Examining the relationship between trade and labour regulation in light of the pressing need to promote sustainable development, Tonia Novitz interrogates how international legal architecture could be reformed so that no one in the world of work gets left behind. She highlights the dangers of pursuing labour and environmental issues on parallel tracks without recognising how they interact, ultimately arguing for the crafting of the content and application of trade rules through participatory processes, which involve the inclusive representation of all sectors of the labour market and all parts of the world.